The Sorting Ceremony
by ScarletInkQuill
Summary: Ever wondered how some of the Hogwarts students were sorted? This is a collection of short stories on how some of the Harry Potter characters were sorted.
1. Intro

Hello everyone!

This story will be a compendium of short stories on my view on how the sorting would have been to some of the characters in the Harry Potter books.

I'm not going to write about Harry's or Malfoy's sorting once we all know how they go, and I'm also not going to write about Ron's sorting, once I really like the movie's idea of what the sorting had comments (the "Oh, another Weasley! I know just what to do with you!"), so it would be really difficult for me to write something different.

Well, that's all, I hope you like it!


	2. Neville Longbottom

"Longbottom, Neville!" Professor McGonagall called.

Neville walked shyly down to the three-foot stool in front of the Professors table. He felt incredibly nervous.

When he finally reached Professor McGonagall and the stool, he sat, and he saw momentarily all of the faces in the Great Hall looking at him. He felt the hat being put on his head and slipping to his nose, covering his eyes. The only thing he could see now was the inside of the hat.

"Hmm… very interesting…" a voice said in his ear. "I have no doubt about you… You would give a great Gryffindor."

_Gryffindor? _Neville thought. _I'm not a Gryffindor! I'm not brave… I would never be able to put up with the responsibility of being in Gryffindor! I'll just let everybody down… I'll let my grandmother down…_

"Not a Gryffindor? Really? Then where do you think you'd belong?"

Neville was surprised that the hat was actually answering his thoughts.

_He can read my thoughts… Errm… Please, put me in Hufflepuff… I'm not brave, nor intelligent… I belong in Hufflepuff… at least there I won't let my family down…_

"Hufflepuff? Are you kidding me? No!" The hat argued. "You're a Gryffindor, and if I'm not mistaken, a good one. And boy, I am never mistaken."

_Well, this time you're wrong. I'm not a Gryffindor! I can't be! My family didn't even think I was a wizard, let alone a Gryffindor!_ _Please, put me in Hufflepuuff!_

"No. I'm never wrong!" the hat said. "I'm not going to put you in a house that is clearly not yours! Face it, you're not a Hufflepuff, you're a Gryffindor!"

_Please! Please! Please! Everyone will be expecting so much of me if you put me in Gryffindor! I can't belong in Gryffindor! I'll take the house's reputation away! Please… put me in Hufflepuff… I'm going to let my family down otherwise! Please…_

"I'm sure that you will be a Gryffindor worth of the house's name. I'm sorry kid… But I've made up my mind."

_Please… Hufflepuff…_

"GRYFFINDOR!" Neville heard the hat shout to the Great Hall. He heard everyone shout and clap and he stood up. He was so nervous shaking so badly that he only noticed that he had the hat still on when he was already far away from the stool.

Everyone was laughing at him. He took the hat off and went back to hand it to Professor McGonagall. Finally he sat on the Gryffindor table under roars of laughter… The Sorting Hat had been wrong… he wasn't a Gryffindor.


	3. Hermione Granger

**Updated once I didn't like some things on the chapter I've wrote…**

"Granger, Hermione!" Professor McGonagall read aloud from the long roll of parchment in her hands.

Hermione almost ran to the stool and eagerly put the hat on her head. And then, she waited.

"Hmm, very clever, I see…" a voice whispered on her ear. "With quite a thirst for knowledge…"

Hermione had read about the sorting process in Hogwarts a History, and knew that what she would think about at that moment the hat would "hear". Besides it had said in its song that «There's nothing hidden in your head, the sorting hat can't see».

"Hmm… You would be a good Ravenclaw… but there's more to you than just wit and cleverness… I see bravery as well. Hmm… You could fit in Gryffindor too…"

The hat went quiet as though as it was thinking about it. Hermione waited patiently, waiting for the hat to decide.

"You have both the qualities of a Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor… I see that you could do great in both of them… Even so, you're more of a Ravenclaw… you're clever, smart… Yes. I think Ravenclaw would be a good house for you. They could help you in your quest for knowledge, no doubt at all… Yes, Ravenclaw is the right house for you…"

The hat when silent once again, and Hermione waited. It seemed that the hat's resoluteness was only apparent. It seemed to have some doubts still lingering. Hermione didn't dare to move, she was eagerly hearing what the hat had to say. It seemed that she was drinking its words… She had read a lot on the sorting and on the four houses and she thought that Gryffindor was by far the best one, even so, she could deal with being a Ravenclaw. After all, they seemed to like to learn new things as much as she liked…

"You seem to like Gryffindor more than Ravenclaw… Well, you could fit in both of them, but Ravenclaw will help you achieve knowledge, while Gryffindor will help you develop your courageous side." The hat said. "They won't understand if you would like to be in the library studying, they will think it is a waste of time… Ravenclaw would be a good house… That's for sure… But then, there's all the brave side of you…"

_But Gryffindor is the most respected of the four houses… _Hermione thought.

"Oh, yes, indeed…" The hat commented. "You seem very resolved about wanting to be in Gryffindor… sure you think that being in the house with the best reputation will be the best for you in the future… Well… Ravenclaw is a good house as well. Yes… You would be great in Ravenclaw… but if you're that certain… GRYFFINDOR!"

Hermione smiled while she took the hat off of her head. She got up of the stool and walked proudly to the Gryffindor table that was cheering her selection. She thought that after all, she would be a good Gryffindor.


	4. Luna Lovegood

"Lovegood, Luna" Professor McGonagall called from the roll of parchment she was holding.

Luna walked slowly to the stool where Professor McGonagall awaited with the Sorting Hat. She looked around at all the students looking back at her, and she didn't feel nervous. She wasn't. She simply wasn't nervous. She was curious. Curious about what house she would be sorted into.

She sat on the stool. She thought that she could sense some Wrackspurts zooming around the hat. Maybe that was what the hat used to select the students… She felt the Sorting Hat being put on her head and sliding down to her nose. The only thing she could now see was the inside of the hat.

_Hmm… Curious…_ she heard a voice say inside her head.

"You're full of Wrackspurts, aren't you?" Luna thought.

_Excuse me? How dare you? Full of what?_

"Wrackpurts." Luna thought again. "They float into your ears and make your brain go fuzzy, you know… That's how you sort the students, isn't it?"

_Are you out of your mind? Around me there's only dust… please… the lunatics we find these days…_

"RAVENCLAW!" The Sorting Hat shouted to the Great Hall.

Luna smiled dreamily as the hat was pulled of her head, and she trotted happily to the Ravenclaw table among the applauses of the students.


	5. Hannah Abbott

The Sorting Hat had finished his song and Professor McGonagall was explaining that the only thing they had to do to be sorted was to sit on the stool and try the hat. Hannah Abbott looked around the Great Hall and saw the huge number of students that would see her being sorted. She was nervous. Besides, due to her surname she was sure she would be one of the first to be called, if not the first. She often was, but she had never got used to it.

Professor McGonagall unrolled the parchment she was holding on her hand and called:

"Abbott, Hannah."

There it was, Hannah thought… she would be the first to be sorted.

Hannah Abbott walked nervously between the tables full of older students. She could feel her legs shaking. When she finally reached the stool she sat and felt the hat being put on her head by Professor McGonagall, and then, she felt it slip to her nose.

"Hmm… nervous I see… very nervous…" the Hat said in a whisper.

Hannah felt more nervous now that the hat was speaking to her.

"No need to be…" he said. "Let's see… where should I put you?…"

Hannah was so nervous now, that her mind was blank. She was simply waiting for the hat to make a decision.

"Hmm… I can see bravery and intelligence… but there's something else… something bigger than that… oh yes… loyalty… loyalty is your biggest trait..." there was a silence. "I can also feel a big fear of failure, and the fear of not being accepted… I think you would do great in a friendly house. Yes, I know exactly where to put you…"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted.

Hannah took the hat of her head and stood up. She was more relaxed now that she had been sorted, but she could feel her heart pounding so hard that it seemed it was trying to get out of her chest. She walked to the Hufflepuff table where her new mates were bursting in applauses.

She was warmly greeted when she sat with them, and she felt at home.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I hope you like this chapter. I based myself on the fact that Hannah has a nervous breakdown on her fifth year, so she must be a nervous person. If you feel that something shouldn't be the way I wrote it, tell me your view of Hannah's sorting!<strong>


	6. Cho Chang

"Chang, Cho!" Professor McGonagall called.

Cho Chang got out of the line of students waiting to be sorted and walked to the three legged stool. Finally she sat and put the Sorting hat on her head, curious to where it would put her.

"Hmm… let me see… I sense loyalty, but not enough to make you a Hufflepuff…" the Hat stopped as if it was thinking or trying to see what other traits she had. "You are used to be popular among other students… but you are smart, unlike many others… you want to learn new things…" the hat said.

Cho waited for some time until it spoke again. "I can see you are brave too, and a bit emotional when in stressful situations… Hmm… No… Intelligence is your strongest trait, and hardworking your strongest capacity… no… I know where to put you."

Cho Chang waited expectantly for the Hat to shout to the Great Hall the word that would decide her whole life at Hogwarts.

"RAVENCLAW!" She finally heard. Cho got up, handed the hat to Professor McGonagall and went to seat at the Ravenclaw table in the middle of cheers and applauses.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Please tell me what you think... I personally I'm not happy about it so I might change it in the future... also, my neighbours are having a party and the music is not helping me think clearly... :S<strong>


	7. Lavender Brown

"Brown, Lavender!" Professor McGonagall read out loud from the roll of parchment in her hands.

Lavender got out of the queue of students and walked to the stool. She was happy about being at Hogwarts and she was eagerly waiting to know where she was going to be sorted.

She sat down on the three legged stool and waited. She was nervous, but she was also completely excited about everything. What would happen next? Where would she belong? All these questions stroke her mind, only making her more nervous.

She felt the Sorting Hat being gently put on her head, and she waited… Suddenly a small voice spoke at her ears...

"Hmm... Determined, I see... But also somehow shallow... Hmm..." The Sorting Hat fell silent as if it was thinking. "Hmm..." she heard once more.

_Am I that difficult?_ she thought. _I can't be that difficult!_

"No..." the Hat told her. "It's just that you don't have the ambition of a Slytherin, the loyalty of a Hufflepuff, nor the cleverness of a Ravenclaw…"

Lavender felt annoyed and a bit hurt. Was the hat telling her that she was dumb?

"Don't get me wrong..." the hat said. "You're not dumb... You're just... Not clever..." it said finally. "I see bravery though... And the will to fight for what you believe... Hmm... I think I know where to put you after all..." the Hat concluded.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Lavender heard the Hat shout for the great hall to hear.

Lavender smiled as she got up from the stool and handed the Hat back to Professor McGonagall. Maybe she wasn't that smart after all, but that had not stopped her of making it to one of the best Hogwarts houses.


End file.
